The Palimar Mutt performed the Baale Muhurta, the first of the preliminaries before the next Paryaya festival, here on Sunday.
Vidyadheesha Tirtha Swami of Palimar Mutt will be ascending the Paryaya Peetha, also known as the Sarvajna Peetha, at the 800-year-old Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple, established by Sri Madhwacharya, exponent of Dwaita philosophy, here on January 18, 2018. It will be his second Paryaya.
Elaborate rituals marked the Baale Muhurta. After offering prayers at the Palimar Mutt, a group of devotees, scholars and priests offered prayers at the Sri Chandramouleshwara Temple, Sri Ananteshwara Temple and Sri Krishna Temple. They then carried the plantain, tulsi and sugarcane saplings around the Car Street in a procession.
Two horses were leading the procession followed by a pair of calves, the carriers of the insignia of the mutt, the traditional drum beaters and persons holding plantain saplings.
They then planted the saplings at a building near the Mathura Chatra near Rajangana parking space at 8.32 a.m., amid chanting of mantras.
Later, addressing the devotees, Vidyadheesha Tirtha said that while tulsi leaves were for various rituals at the Krishna Mutt/Temple, the plantain leaves were basically used for serving food during various feasts at the temple, and the plantains were offered at the temple, he said.
A booklet, Muhurtodaya, by scholar Sagri Raghavendra Upadhyaya, was released on the occasion. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, Vinay Kumar Sorake, MLA, and U.R. Sabhapathi, Raghupati Bhat, former MLAs, were present.
Later, speaking to presspersons, Vidyadheesha Tirtha said that during his second Paryaya, he would continue and extend the Chinnara Santharpane mid-day meal scheme for schools, started during his first Paryaya (2002-04).
The Laksha Tulsi Archane was performed weekly during his first Paryaya, and he was thinking of doing it daily during the second Paryaya. To do this, he would be cultivating tulsi saplings in an acre of land at Palimar village (about 30 km from here).
He was planning to get some land near Rajangana to cultivate tulsi saplings here. He also wanted to provide student scholarships to eligible poor students pursuing general education and also traditional (Vedic) education, the seer said.
The Akki Muhurta, the second preliminary before the next Paryaya, will be held here on January 20, 2017.
The biennial Paryaya marks the change of authority to manage the Sri Krishna Mutt/Temple and exclusive rights to worship Lord Krishna from one mutt to another among the Ashta Mutts of Udupi.
